Chapter 83: Changing Clothes

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Changing Clothes

"What a beautiful evil spirit... even prettier than the ladies in the art troupe," Bu Guo thought. She swallowed hard, staring unblinkingly at Deng Yuyuan’s face, almost forgetting to cry.

In her eyes, Deng Yuyuan was vibrant and alive. Bu Guo couldn’t articulate the feeling, but she instinctively felt that Tuantuan and her mother were very different from everyone else.

Meanwhile, Deng Yuyuan’s straightforward and decisive action had awed everyone present. No matter what they thought in their hearts, they had at least learned to respect her on the surface.

"I came today just to pack my things and leave. If you hadn’t insisted on throwing my courtesy back in my face, it wouldn’t have ended up this ugly," Deng Yuyuan snapped without pausing for breath. She wanted to curse more, but considering the children present, she swallowed the words down for now.

"Hey, your name is Little Guo’er, right?" Her gaze locked onto the little girl in the corner.

Bu Jun glanced up at her, his hands slowly balling into fists.

Being called out, Bu Guo looked at her father fearfully, then back at Deng Yuyuan, and gave an honest nod.

"Does it feel good to have water splashed in your face?" Deng Yuyuan’s tone sharpened. "Speak!"

Bu Guo shook her head and whimpered tearfully, "N-no, it doesn’t."

The tension in Bu Jun’s clenched fists suddenly vanished. He straightened up, quietly observing his daughter’s reaction. She had never been so cooperative before. Even when facing strict teachers, she would fearlessly throw tantrums and roll on the floor instead of obediently answering questions.

"Stop crying. Wipe your tears." Deng Yuyuan lowered her gaze, waiting as the girl wiped her face in slow motion.

"Since it doesn’t feel good, why did you splash water on Tuantuan in the first place?"

Bu Guo looked at her helplessly, her small hands gripping her cuffs tightly. "I... I just thought it was fun."

Deng Yuyuan picked up the aluminum kettle from the floor and poured water over the girl’s head. "Is it fun?"

Bu Guo squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her lips tightly together, trembling all over.

"Woman of the Deng family, don’t go too far and push your luck! If you hurt her, I promise I’ll make you wish you were dead." Bu Jun stepped forward and snatched the kettle away.

"The ones pushing their luck are you and your daughter!" Deng Yuyuan glared back, refusing to show weakness. "Behind closed doors, how you spoil your daughter is your family’s business, but she just had to go and torment someone else’s child. What, your kid is a treasure, but other people’s kids aren’t?"

Deng Yuyuan glanced around the room and sneered. "Even a cornered rabbit will bite."

Bu Jun pulled Bu Guo into his arms, tenderly wiping the water from her face and coaxing her softly. He suppressed the ruthless glint in his eyes; he thought, "This woman can forget about staying here any longer."

His daughter leaned against his chest, sniffling, as her weak, tiny voice reached his ears. "Daddy, can Tuantuan still play with me?"

Deng Yuyuan had sharp ears and immediately rejected the idea. "Of course not. Tuantuan won’t play with a bad kid who bullies her."

Little Guo’er cried like a little steam train in her father’s arms. Facing Deng Yuyuan, however, her momentum weakened. "I’m not a bad kid. Is it okay if I don’t bully her anymore?"

Deng Yuyuan pondered for a moment, looking toward the study where Tuantuan was. "That depends on Tuantuan. You can stand at the door by yourself, apologize to Tuantuan, and ask if she’s willing to forgive you."

Bu Jun frowned. "You’re actually making my daughter apologize to her? The last thing Little Guo’er lacks is playmates. By losing this chance to make friends, the ones missing out are you and your daughter, not us."

"BOO-HOO." Bu Guo reached out with both hands and covered her father’s mouth, looking panicked. "Daddy, stop talking. I... I’ll apologize."

It was true that many children sucked up to her, but whether they yielded to her or opposed her, none of them were as cute and delicate as Tuantuan, nor did any of them treat her as naturally as Tuantuan did. Little kids had their stubborn streaks too; the more she couldn’t get something, the more she wanted it. If the hard way didn’t work, she would try the soft way.

Bu Jun looked at his daughter in shock, silently reassessing the influence of Deng Yuyuan and her daughter. They had barely interacted for less than an hour, yet the changes in his daughter were truly astonishing. If his daughter’s eyes weren’t clear and her personality didn’t still carry a hint of her usual wilfulness, he would have thought she was possessed by some unclean spirit.

Bu Guo patted her father’s shoulder, signaling him to put her down. Then, her little legs carried her over to the study door. Her voice still carried a hint of a sob. "Tuantuan, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have splashed water on your face. Will you forgive me?"

"Little Guo’er?" Tuantuan’s voice came through the door, sounding a bit muffled and muted. "Tuantuan forgives you. Don’t cry."

Bu Guo patted the door. "Then will you open the door? I want to see you."

"In those groveling romance novels, the scummy male supporting characters beg the female leads just as bitterly. But even girls who suffered extreme physical and emotional abuse didn’t forgive them as fast as our Tuantuan."

Hearing the voice in her head, Deng Yuyuan found herself in rare agreement. Tuantuan’s temperament was indeed a bit too nice—perhaps she took after her mother, the original host of this body. She stood up straight, watching to see what kind of sparks would fly between the two little ones.

Tuantuan leaned close to the door, sounding very conflicted. "I can only open it if Mommy tells me to. You shouldn’t look at me."

"Your mommy is right here in the room, just open it." Little Guo’er pouted. Having heard Tuantuan’s forgiveness, she felt she had regained the right to boss Tuantuan around.

"No, no." Even though no one could see her, Tuantuan shook her head like a rattle drum as she spoke. "I can’t disobey Mommy, or Mommy will be sad. Little Guo’er, how about you just keep crying instead?"

It was much better for Little Guo’er to cry than for Mommy to be sad.

"Oh my, when Tuantuan is being kind, her words can still really pierce the heart."

Bu Guo was dumbfounded. She looked helplessly at her father for help, then quickly stole a glance at Deng Yuyuan.

Deng Yuyuan caught Bu Guo’s glance. She, too, wanted to continue testing how Tuantuan would handle the situation.

"I just got all your clothes wet. It’s still cold outside, and going out like this might make you sick. Let me help you change. Do you want to wear Tuantuan’s old clothes?" Deng Yuyuan asked. No matter how well Tuantuan was fed, her size couldn’t compare to a seven-year-old’s. However, a few of her sweaters had loose stitches and were extremely stretchy—so much so that even Deng Yuyuan could fit into them.

"Okay, okay!" Before her father could refuse, Bu Guo eagerly agreed, without even sparing Bu Jun a glance. "I want to change in the study too."

Deng Yuyuan’s tone shifted. "I don’t like people ordering me around. I’m not helping you change anymore."

Bu Jun glared at her and demanded in a harsh whisper, "Little Guo’er is just a child. Why do you have to speak so bluntly and hurt her?"

Deng Yuyuan turned her head. Unbeknownst to her, the man had gotten extremely close, his strong masculine scent enveloping her. She slightly furrowed her slender brows, lifted her foot, and brought it down hard, viciously stomping on the man’s shoe.

"Why did you leave the house without a brain? If I’m not blunt, how is a child supposed to understand?"